Can I temporarily import 2 bikes at a time through Central America?
 

I live in Mexico and own 2 bikes, an 1100GS and a 1200GSA. Both are completely legal and registered and plated in my name.

What I would like to do is invite a friend from the US to fly to Mexico City and then we would ride together on my bikes down to Panama and back.

Does anyone know if we are allowed to cross borders with 2 bikes registered to the same person? Or is there some sort of "one person, one vehicle" rule for temporary imports?

I've ridden through Belize, Honduras and Guatemala on one of the bikes before, and it was no problem. But that was just one bike. This trip I'd like to go through Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama.

You could probably get a Poder drawn up in favour of your friend. Might be a good idea anyway in case you get separated.

I know Mexico has a one person one vehicle rule.

Don’t know if it work in all countries and borders but if a bike is not registered in the name of the rider he will need a Power of Attorney from the registered owner to allow him to get a temporal import permit in his name and be able to ride the bike. Legally talking, this POA has to be a one made in the country where the bike is registered (translated to the language from where will be use if its need) with an “Apostille” usually made at consulates, embassies, maybe a court of law or international affairs offices. This (the Apostille) at entry or exist in Argentina by a non-registered owner by port or airport is IMPERATIVE for example.

“The Apostille convention or the Apostille treaty is an international treaty drafted by the Hague Conference on Private International Law. It specifies the modalities through which a document issued in one of the signatory countries can be certified for legal purposes in all the other signatory states. Such a certification is called an apostille (French: certification). It is an international certification comparable to a notarisation in domestic law.”

You can find more information about the apostille in the following link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostille_convention

Thats actually pretty easy to get. Everything's all in Spanish already, the apostille is no biggie-I did that a million times when I first moved here. And we'd be traveling together so it's not he'd be trying to do stuff on his own with a bike in somebody else's name, I'd be there too.

Thanks!

I actually tried emailing every country that we'd be passing through's customs office and asking and every single one gave me some kind of non answer and "try asking somebody else" line.